Sledding at Mt. Rainier

We love sledding. It's in our blood. I am from the great state of ND and my sweetie is from Minnesota. Growing up in the Midwest instills a love for playing in the snow.

On this particular day in WA, 7 families we know came out to sled together. It was a perfect day but it did begin a bit rocky. As we drove to The Mountain, which in WA refers to Rainier, there were down trees and power lines frequently, but the lane we traveled in was always clear. Upon entrance to the park, a gigantic orange sign read Paradise closed. NO SLEDDING all season. What?!?!?! We had researched this and today was supposed to be the first open day. Others were coming, what were we going to tell them? Ted remained calm and asked the ranger what the 411 was. She explained the road would most likely be cleared and that if it was, sledding could happen and they would take the sign down. Back in business!!! We drove to Longmire where we met up with the other families. We put our chains on and then the gate opened. Hallelujah! We traveled to Paradise and spent 4 hours sledding plus an hour break for Coco in the middle.

My kids were super sledders! Our youngest, 4, was carried up the hill only twice. Otherwise, she hoofed it like the rest of us. She preferred to ride solo. Our other 2 walked all on their own and had so much fun sledding with friends. Ted and I got lots of runs in too. One of our friends brought giant inner tubes (tractor tire tubes) and those seemed to work best. We decided we need to contact my farming uncle and see if he can hook us up with some tubes! So fun! We will remember this day with family and friends always.